Various removable lids for sealing liquid storage and other beverage containers are well known. In particular, variously designed lids having drinking apertures which allows for the selective removal of a beverage contained within the beverage container have been utilized throughout recorded history. With regards to drinking vessels which may be utilized by infants, young children, and the like, much effort has been directed towards the development of beverage container lids which allows the infant, or young child to sip or otherwise withdraw liquid from the container in a given measured amount and further substantially prohibits the spilling of the liquid from the container in the event that the child, for example, inadvertently overturns the drinking vessel during their daily activities. The prior art is replete with numerous examples of various arrangements utilized to prevent fluid leakage from the caps which are releasably affixed to a beverage container. Perhaps the most germane art which is currently available and which is directed to solving the problem concerning the development of a spill-proof beverage container is found in U.S. Publication No. 2010/0044386A1 to Samson. This reference discloses a cap or closure member for a spill proof beverage container and which includes a demand valve which is incorporated into the cap and which, when rendered operational, allows for the selective dispensing of a liquid from the beverage container when an infant or small child applies a suction force to the described drinking spout. In this arrangement, when suction is not being applied to the drinking spout, the demand valve substantially prohibits the release of fluid from the beverage container so as to prevent spills if the container is accidentally overturned.
While the aforementioned, and other devices in the art have worked with varying degrees of success, shortcomings in their individual designs have detracted from their usefulness. For example, in training small children to feed themselves, parents have often found it useful to utilize various assemblies which can be readily adjusted so as to meter selective amounts of fluid to the child so that choking and spilling of the fluid is substantially avoided. While some devices have been developed to allow a supervising adult to adjust the amount of fluid dispensed through such drinking caps, as a general matter, it is fair to say that these devices have typically been complex in their overall design, often cumbersome to clean, and have not typically and reliably prevented the spilling of liquid in the event that the beverage container is accidently overturned by the infant during their day-to-day activities.
Therefore, a liquid metering assembly which would achieve the benefits of the prior art references while avoiding the detriments which are individually associated therewith is the subject matter of the present invention.